Today is The National Guard’s Birthday

December 13th commemorates the birth of the National Guard, reports The National Day Calendar.  A component of the United States Army, the National Guard is primarily composed of citizen-soldiers who hold down full-time, civilian jobs, attend school, or as is often the case, both.  At the same time, they are available to provide support and protection for the states’ civilians or to be called for military operations for the country. Each U.S. state, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the territories of Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands maintain both an Army National Guard and an Air National Guard.  While not recognized as a Federal Holiday, National Guard members across the country celebrate the birth of the oldest military organization in the United States with galas, balls, and birthday parties.